Its
brighter inside and they sell food, and the price of beer went
up a dime. I don't know how much more it will be changed when
I go home. -
I'm a high school graduate!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope.

[Louise Tremblay's handwriting]
Hi Ralph. Its Lou speaking. I guess your having a good time
in europe. I envy you.

[Heather's hand]
Hi again. That last sentence was written about three hours
ago by Louise. Since then we went out on the river in a dingy
and went swimming. Then we came home and I smoked half a splif
by myself because no one else felt like smoking. So now I'm
writing you again. My sister (132)
is going to have a baby in February. That means I'm going
to be an aunt. I hope to go out and visit her but I have to
get a job first. I'm planning to look for one when I get home
but just because I'm planning doesn't mean I'll get around
to it. Hopefully I will though because I know I could learn
alot[sic] about life
in general and myself from talking to her. She's got her head
together and a far out philosophy holding it their
[?] one which I'd like to hear more about.

What
about you? Are you learning alot about life and yourself by
being out and off on your own? (Well sort of on your own,
I know you'll be with your parents until the end of July
[early July, in fact]. Maybe you'll meet a nice
chic [sic] who you can glow
[? -grow?] with. Yea, that sounds good ey?

Mmm
I'm sitting outside in the hot sun and Monique the girl we're
staying with is playing her flute. Here, she's going to say
Hi. [The letter, which was never
finished, ends with a paragraph en français by a total
stranger who wishes me well and advises me to get the help
of "une des jolies française" if I have any
trouble understanding French. Monique also informs me that
the island where they are staying is Ile du Grand Calumet
(roughly an hour's drive northwest of Ottawa).]

The
album 'Tales of Mystery and Imagination' by Alan Parson was
a hit...a nadir. Also
Steve Miller's 'Fly Like an Eagle' and Blue Oyster Cult's
'Don't Fear the Reaper'.

July
1976

July
2 FridayThe
Mapes was raided heavily (I was not there).

July
3 Saturday
Went
with Heather to a show in the sandpits of St Lazard. The groups
were Maneige, Octobre and Offenbac.
[saw Chuck there but didn't speak to him. Met Sue E there,
drove her home. Heather stayed later].

July
16 Friday
Saw
the runner with the Olympic flame on Lakeshore Road
[the rain was wonderful too].

July
17 Saturday[Peter
and I watched the opening of the Montreal Olympics on TV in
my basement].

July
18 SundayBob,
Janet and Mike H? at Bob's.

132. Ralph's note: Heather's elder sister
was a year ahead of me at JRHS and was in my NAL class. She
had moved out to Salt Spring Island, BC, after high school,
joining a number of JRHS alumni who had set up some kind of
commune there. My sister Nicolette knew some of these people,
including Jeff Watling, the older brother of the future guitarist
with The Big City Band- the unacknowledged Maples Inn houseband.
Heather would fulfill all these plans by the beginning the following
year. I'm not sure if she ever did get a job but, after her
farewell party on 15/01/77, she did go to Salt Spring and wrote
me from there in March '77.